The New Fiscal Sociology: Taxation in Comparative and Historical Perspective

The New Fiscal Sociology: Taxation in Comparative and Historical Perspective demonstrates that the study of taxation can illuminate fundamental dynamics of modern societies. The sixteen essays in this collection offer a state-of-the-art survey of the new fiscal sociology that is emerging at the intersection of sociology, history, political science, and law. The contributors include some of the foremost comparative historical scholars in these disciplines and others. They approach the institution of taxation as a window onto the changing social contract. Their chapters address the social and historical sources of tax policy, the problem of how taxes persist, and the social and cultural consequences of taxation. They trace fundamental connections between tax institutions and macrohistorical phenomena - wars, shifting racial boundaries, religious traditions, gender regimes, labor systems, and more.

Preface Charles Tilly; 1. The thunder of history Isaac William Martin, Ajay K. Mehrotra and Monica Prasad; 2. 'The unfair advantage of the few' Joseph J. Thorndike; 3. What Americans think of taxes Andrea Louise Campbell; 4. Read their lips Fred Block; 5. Making taxes the life of the party Christopher Howard; 6. The politis of demanding sacrifice Evan S. Lieberman; 7. The end of the strong state Eisaku Ide and Sven Steinmo; 8. War and taxation Naomi Feldman and Joel Slemrod; 9. Liberty, democracy, and capacity Robin L. Einhorn; 10. Extraction and democracy Charles Tilly; 11. Improving tax administration in contemporary African states Edgar Kiser and Audrey Sacks; 12. Adam Smith and the search for an ideal tax system Beverly Moran; 13. Where's the sex in fiscal sociology? Edward McCaffery; 14. The Shoup mission to Japan W. Elliot Brownlee; Epilogue: A renaissance for fiscal sociology John L. Campbell.